Pizza

forgot to take a pic before we started eating it! haha!

This is definitely my family's favorite. Merrick doesn't like anything with cooked tomatoes, so I have to make a special section for him, but the rest of us like (almost) anything and everything on it!

This is another great way to clean out your fridge, because you can put almost anything on a pizza, and it's great. I'll give you the basics - and then list some ideas at the end.

Some people think homemade pizza takes a long time, but it really doesn't have to. I've perfected a pizza crust recipe that you can make in under 5 minutes. Then just schlop stuff on top and bake it for about 20 minutes - and you're a hero! :)


Crust:
2 cups flour
1 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp dry yeast powder (I buy this in bulk at Sam's Club and keep it in the freezer. We go through a lot of yeast at our house)
2 tbsp oil (olive oil is best for this, but any normal cooking oil will work)
about 1 cup of warmest tap water

That's the basic recipe - but I rarely make it that way. I almost always double this and make 2 pizzas at once. The five of us just eat about one for a meal, but what's better than left-over pizza?

Then I usually use garlic salt instead of plain salt and add tons of spices. The crust can have a nice flavor that enhances the overall taste of your pizza. So - I'll dump in oregano, basil, garlic, onion powder, hot peppers, etc. You're going to ask me how much now, aren't you. Well, I don't really know - you'll just have to experiment to get the flavor you want (again - just be brave. It's almost impossible to mess up!).


OK - here's what to do. Again - the kitchenaid is your friend! Put everything (except the water) in the mixer and mix on lowest speed. Get about a cup of the hottest water you can get from your tap and drizzle it as slowly as you can into the dry ingredients, while it's on low speed. As soon as the mixture pulls away from the sides of the bowl, stop pouring and let it run for about a minute or two (if you accidentally pour in too much water so that it starts sticking to the sides of the bowl again, don't panic! Just start slowly adding flour until it's all stuck around the beater again - no harm!)

Turn off the mixer and let it sit for about 5 minutes. (This is a good time to go see what creative things you can find in your fridge to throw on your pizza!)

I wouldn't make a pizza on anything but a (pampered chef) pizza stone, but I've had other folks' homemade pizzas that were excellent made on things other than stones - so it's up to you...

I also don't use a normal rolling pin. I love my (pampered chef) double-sided rolling pin. Here's something that's close...

I roll the dough right over the edges of the stone. Being a yeast dough, it bounces back time after time - so you have to roll it for a while. When you finally subdue your dough, then the fun begins.


Summer is the best for pizza (if you can stand to heat up your kitchen - blah!) because fresh tomatoes are SO much better than sauce on pizza. I just slice the tomatoes - about 1/4 inch-ish (but it's all up to how tomatoey you like your pizza!!) and schlopp them all over the crust. Then sprinkle them with Italian seasonings - oregano, basil, etc., garlic, salt & fresh-ground pepper. If the pizza were just for me, I'd add hot peppers, but in order to keep friends in my family, I have to leave them off and add them at the table.

One one of our pizzas, I have to leave a section with no tomatoes for goofy Merrick, but it still ends up being great - just put some olive oil on the crust (or not) and sprinkle the spices.

Then go crazy! This is a great time to involve the kids. Let them dump whatever they want all over, or mark off sections with toothpicks to remember whose area is whose. We put small pieces of black or green olive or onion on the toothpicks to show what is in which area.

For a 'normal' garbage pizza - we use whatever's in the fridge, but our favs are:
spicy italian sausage (Aldi has delicious hot sausage that's inexpensive and not too hot)
green & black olives
onions
peppers (green, red, banana, whatever...)
pepperoni
mushrooms (fresh are best, of course)
spinach (or any other vegetables...)
ham (canadian bacon is terrific, but WAY too expensive!)
bacon (bacon bits??)

don't look at my dirty oven! haha

and don't forget the cheese!
We like mozzarella - but Merrick likes cheddar and mozz.

Put your masterpiece(s) in a COLD oven and set it for 350 degrees. When I do two, I put it on convect and set it for about 325. If you don't have convect, you will want to swap spots a time or two, or else the crust on your top one will not cook in the middle and the cheese on the bottom one will not brown. Check them after 20 minutes then give them a few more minutes until the cheese is nice & brown (to your liking).

When you don't have fresh tomatoes - don't sweat it. Schlop a small can of plain old tomato sauce (not pizza sauce - just plain tomato sauce - about 25 cents) all over the crust and sprinkle with those same spices. It all cooks together and makes the most delish sauce. People don't believe that I haven't made my own sauce separately!


OK - now for fun variations!

• spinach, black olives, onions, & feta cheese
• ketchup (instead of sauce & spices) cooked ground hamburger, onions, & cheddar cheese - serve with mustard & pickles - a family favorite
• mild taco sauce (instead of sauce & spices), taco meat, refried beans, onions, green olives, onions, cheddar cheese - serve with lettuce, fresh tomatoes, sour cream, other taco topping stuff. 
• ham & pineapple
• ham & swiss cheese
• spinach & fresh mushroom
• broccoli & cheddar cheese
• get creative & have a blast!